Anyone get PUPs for Christmas?
asks Peter Clarke of PC PAL
For the past month or so I have seen an increase in the number of calls for a problem I've written about previously - PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs). Several of my customers have asked me to solve issues such as a sudden slowing of their computer, their system taking ages to load their browser (eg Internet Explorer) and once it has loaded they are bombarded with adverts.
So what are PUPs? A PUP is a program that a user agrees to download, even though they often don’t realise it as it appears in the ‘small print’ related to a program they do want. PUPs used to be called ‘Adware’ or ‘Spyware’ but that terminology is no longer allowed to be used.
The problem with these PUPs is, at best they load in the background and slow your system down and, at worst, they ‘find problems with your system’ that, for a fee (surprise, surprise!!) they can fix.
So what can you do to prevent this in the first place?
Certain programs are known for their association with PUPs eg FLV player (a free media player) and PDF reader (an alternative to Adobe). Whilst that doesn’t mean these programs are bad themselves it does mean you need to be careful when you download them and make sure you read all the small print as you may be signing up for a lot more than you bargained for. If given the option always choose the ‘Custom’ or ‘Advanced’ option during the download as it will reveal what other third party programs they intend to install.
If you are already affected it can be difficult to rectify but it is possible, as several of my customers can testify.
If you need some help with this or want to discuss it further don’t hesitate to call me.
